Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk External Drive
As a dedicated website to external hard drives, we had always stressed a lot about how important is backing up all your valuable data. Nowadays, we also spend some time in extolling the loveliness of the SuperSpeed USB3.0. The Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk External Hard Drive looks to bridge the gap that lies between the USB3.0 and the crowd that is still loyal to USB2.0. The GoFlex Desk is not a regular external hard drive that combines a hard disk with a USB controller. It boasts to the world’s first single drive 3TB external hard disk. Seagate has also equipped the drive with other useful stuff such as automatic backup and even the ability to store your data online to increase your protection in a slim and sleek package that is available in a range of high capacities. Read further to find out if this is the one for you.
Design:
Classy:
At first glance, the GoFlex Desk is not anything fancy. It looks like your typical 3.5” external hard drive, but a classy one at that. The USB 3.0 dock plugs itself safely into its place and the entire assembly of the FreeAgent GoFlex Desk is quite compact and very tasteful. The only glitch with the design is that, you will not find any power switch, nor anywhere to connect the lock. And, since it stands upright, it is highly susceptible of being knocked over and if you try to lie it down, the cables and lights sit awkwardly at the corners. While the detachable tray, about which we will discuss later, is convenient, it is not as sturdy as we would have liked it to be.
Capacity Gauge:
When the fourth light comes on you know it is time for some housekeeping. The problem with this is, there are only four bars representing 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% full. So, if the drive is 24% full (which is roughly 245 GB of a 1TB drive), this means that none of the bars will light up, making it look like there is nothing on it. Placing more than four bars would be nice, or better yet, utilise a small screen, that actually tells you exactly how much space you have left, similar to some Western Digital’s external drives.
Capacities and Compatibility:
The GoFlex Desk is available in three capacities of 1TB, 2TB and 3TB. Three terabytes is a lot of storage, but Seagate’s own site may put this into perspective: 750 two-hour DVD movies or nearly 50,000 hours of CD-grade music. GoFlex Desk External Drive can synchronize with the various systems including the Windows and Mac systems. It is also very compatible with USB 2.0 drive. Overall, the product is compatible in various degrees with other hardware. This is influenced by the level of configuration required for a given device.
Replaceable Interfaces:
The interfaces can be quickly detached and replaced with others and the range includes the real speedy ones such as the before mentioned USB 3 and eSATA. The adaptors are connected with the help of a modified version of the SATA interface that can found on the internal hard drives. However, the real estate surrounding the SATA is way too cramped to even think of fitting in any standard SATA cables. This makes it convenient to use when coupled with a GoFlex desktop adapter.
Safe and Secure:
When it comes to features, the Seagate GoFlex Desk 1TB, 2TB, 3TB External Drive offers dynamic and perpetual back up of salvaged data from a computer desktop. The drive makes it extremely simple to encrypt information through its protective software that keeps large databases private and password secure. We can safely say that this is one of best product in the market when it comes to safety and ease of use. It even keeps the saved files secure by providing it with an updated back up that automatically customises to the data codes from any source whether it is from the desk top or other external hardware.
Performance:
We have tested the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk 3.5-inch External Hard Drive with both the USB Adaptor that is included in the package and also with the optional USB 3 adaptor that will cost you approximately 20 pounds. On USB, the speed of the GoFlex Desk is same as the speed that can be expected out of a USB drive with a spindle speed of 7200rpm.
Cooling and Noise:
Since the drive does not have a cooling fan, it relies on passive cooling and hence, turns out to be a very silent drive. Since it is all passive cooling, keep it in good ventilation. It was never too hot on even high usage times, but it would have been nice to have a cooling fan for some disk intensive tasks.
Package Kit:
There is the fast installment manual. Of course, a large 2TB drive like this cannot be had for pocket money, especially not with a fancy USB 3 adaptor. But even when you buy the two together you are still paying only 7.4p per gigabyte, which is not too far off the cost of a bare drive.
Warranty:
Lastly, we really appreciate that Seagate ships the GoFlex desk with a two year warranty, while many competitors only offer one year guarantees. It is not as long as the warranty for internal drives, but it is to be expected with the nature of an external drive subject to bumps and shocks.
Verdict:
The Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk gives you plenty of storage space, easy upgrading to other software and fast data transfer. The removable interface adaptors makes the money well spent. Though it costs a little more than a standard disk, when combined with the USB3 adaptor, it turns out to be one of the cheapest in the market. This drive will be the choice for consumers looking for a lot of speedy external storage.
Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk (1TB, 2TB, 3TB) – Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Seagate |
| Model Name | Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk |
| Model Numbers | 1TB: STAC1000200 2TB: STAC2000200 3TB: STAC3000200 |
| Colour/Finish | Black |
| Type | 3.5″ |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 4.88″ x 1.73″ x 6.22″ |
| Weight | 1080g |
| Capacities Available | 1TB, 2TB and 3TB |
| Interface | FireWire® 800 USB 2.0 USB 3.0 |
| Cooling System | Passive |
| Spindle speed | 7200rpm |
| Software | Seagate Dashboard management tool Preloaded backup software with encryption |
| Encryption | 192-bit Triple DES |
| Compatible OS | PC & Mac |
| System Requirements | Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP (32-bit & 64-bit) operating system or Mac OS X operating system 10.4.9 or higher USB 2.0 or 3.0 port For the USB 3.0 interface: SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port (required for USB 3.0 transfer speeds or backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports at USB 2.0 transfer speeds) |
| Box Contents | GoFlex Desk Drive Preloaded backup software with encryption GoFlex Desk USB 2.0 or 3.0 adapter base with capacity gauge 5-foot (150 cm) USB 2.0 or 3.0 cable Quick Start Guide |
| Warranty | 2 years |
May 16th, 2011 at 11:47 am
I purchased the 3TB USB3 version to go with my ASUS G73SW laptop. The performance is good .. roughly 50 Mb/sec on write from internal hard drive to external. Not as fast as I would have expected for a full USB3 interface.
The LED bar thing has never worked. Presently on Windows Ultimate 7 64 bit, the leds are not lit despite the drive having 1.7TB used!
They only worked once, when 3 of the 4 lit at machine start up and then went out when I selected the drive.
Storage is good .. but the interface doesn’t always start up when I boot the laptop. I regularly power down then restart to get the drive recognised. Still good value for money though, and allows good speed replay of large 3D HD video files from the external drive – better than the internal one.